Mass Effect: More Complicated
by Daedric Princess of Madness
Summary: When Cameron Shepard awakes in a Cerberus facility of all places, she discovers that not all was what it was. The Reapers are still on their way, and she has to do whatever it takes to stop them again. ME2 - 3. Eventual Shenko. Rated M for sound reasons
1. Prologue

**A/N: Re-doing plans for that Mass Effect story now. I figured it'd be best to simply simply get to the point with ME2, in which most of my extremely fucked up headcanons actually become important. Prepare for warped timelines and the appearances of certain OCs that don't exist in the games themselves. **

**Pairings: ****_Eventual_rekindled F!Shenko. Emphasis on _eventual._ Also contains James/OC, Traynor/OC, Talibrations, and T'Shavik, among others after awhile.**

**Mass Effect belongs to Bioware, I'm just playing in their sandbox. Cameron Shepard, Valerie, Jasmine, Amber Gordon, Matthew Shepard and my own interpretation of Hannah Shepard belong to me. Consider this a disclaimed for the entire story, as I'm not putting it on every chapter.**

**This chapter takes place at Shepard's funeral, two days after her death. The rest will be told in first person, from her perspective.**

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><p><strong><em>Prologue.<em>**

_March 27th, 2183_

Cameron Shepard's funeral was a tasteful affair, with several thousand people from across the galaxy came to the Citadel to honor the life that had belonged to the first human Spectre. Among the crowd, Kaidan spotted Anderson, who seemed to be genuinely upset about Shepard's death, and beside him, Udina, who looked just as snobby as ever. The Counselors were even there, but that was as a mere formality. But none of them were mourning Shepard's death more than those that had followed her.

Liara, who was hoping to find a permanent residence on the Normandy since she had no where else to go, was devastated. She had come to consider Shepard a sister; if anyone was as devastated by Shepard's death as much as he was, it was her. She was actually sobbing. Tali was as well, but Kaidan couldn't really see it under her helmet. Garrus and Wrex said nothing, but Kaidan knew they were upset by Shepard's death as well. It was worse than when Ashley had died a few months back.

They said a few words about her, mostly from Tevos; about how brave a person she was, and how much she gave for the rest of the galaxy as a Spectre. But none of this really summed of what kind of a person she was. Yes, she was brave, and yes, she did give her entire life defending the galaxy. But they didn't know the person other than the Commander. They didn't know the woman.

They didn't know _Cameron._

But of course they didn't. Shepard didn't let anyone in. If he was guessing right, he was one of the only people who knew about Valerie and her adoption, and Akuze. And who she really was. Unfortunately, as she rarely - if ever - let anyone in, everything Tevos said seemed inaccurate.

Then, the memorial was over, and they all went their separate ways. No one knew what Wrex was doing, only that he went back to Tuchanka. Kaidan couldn't say he was sad to hear that. The krogan was a good enough person, but his personality at times proved to be too much.

Tali went back to the Migrant Fleet, deciding it was high time she went back to her people. She had been declared an adult a few weeks before and had had no reason to return, but had done so for Shepard's funeral, declaring her to be as good as an older sister to her. Garrus had decided to return to C-Sec, deciding he could do some good in the world.

Liara had no idea what to do, but stayed on the Citadel for a few weeks longer before declaring she would take a shuttle to Illium. Kaidan couldn't help but worry about her. She had seemed to change after Shepard's death in ways that were just downright creepy. He had to ask about it as she was waiting for her shuttle.

"I'll be fine," Liara insisted. "I have found out some information and I need to take care of it. I'll...I'll be fine."

Then she was gone too.

Not long after, Kaidan was promoted. He was going to turn down the promotion, but his mother had heard the news and coaxed him to take it with the right words.

So he took the promotion.

And he tried to move on.


	2. Lazarus

**A/N: The first chapter, and where we finally get to know Cameron as a person. She's understandably pissed off, so bear with me.**

**Oh, and you can see pictures and stuff for this story (drawings, screenshots I took, etc) on my dA. There's a link on my profile. :)**

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><p><em><strong>Chapter one: Lazarus<strong>_

_March 30th, 2185._

_Pain. _

_She felt pain._

_It was so bad, she could have sworn it was worse than being back on Mindoir, and feeling all those injuries. _

_No, it was worse. She felt empty._

_This wasn't right. This wasn't how she was supposed to feel. Not now..._

_Something had happened. She needed to get out. She need to find Kaidan. Where was he?_

"...she's reacting to outside stimuli," a voice said. "Showing an awareness in her surroundings…"

I tried to lift my head, but it was no use. It felt as if it was a heavy weight holding me down.

"Oh my God, Miranda, I think she's waking up!"

"Dammit, Wilson!" A female voice shouted. "She's not ready yet! Give her the sedative!" A hand touched my own, and pain rushed through my body with a split second. I could have screamed, but I didn't.

"Calm down, Shepard," the woman...was her name Miranda? told me. It was obviously in an effort to try and reassure me. It didn't work. I felt my heart beating very fast in my chest, as if it was about to burst out of it. "Just lie still, try to remain calm."

My vision started to blur. Soon enough, everything was gone.

And that empty feeling remained.

* * *

><p>"<em>Cameron, I know that you're scared, and I know that you've done all you can, but it's time for you to wake up."<em>

_Cameron looked towards her sister carefully. Was this real? A trap? Or part of her own mind? _

"_I can't...I can't do this anymore, Valerie," Cameron admitted. "I took down Saren. I took some shore leave with Kaidan. We were...we were gonna have a life together. But I'm dead, Valerie. Can't I stay that way?"_

"_Cameron, if you stay asleep, you _will _die," Her sister shook her shoulders with such force that Cameron was surprised she wasn't dizzy by the end. "I know you're upset right now, but you need to wake up."_

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><p>Bright light shone over my face, almost blinding me despite the fact that my eyes were still closed. When I finally managed to open my eyes, if felt as if they had been closed for decades. My first thought after that was to try and move one of my arms. It felt stiff and it was almost painful.<p>

"_Shepard, can you hear me? __Get out of that bed now – this facility is under attack."_

Confused, I sat up, letting a hand brush over my face. It felt as if someone had cut it up and clumsily tried to sew it back together. Then, I tried to remember where I had heard the voice that was currently talking over the com, before it suddenly hit me.

It was the woman who was with me when I awoke before. Miranda. While I could barely remember what she even looked like right now, I still had a very good idea. I couldn't help but be confused by everything that was was going on, even though it wasn't my first concern.

My first concern was what had happened after the Normandy exploded, because that was what I remembered. I remembered falling to my death, and struggling to breathe. Unless someone had saved me from death, I couldn't possibly have survived. There had to be an explanation for all of this.

I attempted to pull myself off the bed. My legs felt as if they were made of jelly, but I managed to pull myself towards the cupboard in front of me. There was some armor - _my _armor - and a pistol.

What luck.

As Miranda kept sending instructions over the com, I encountered several mechs along the way. Nothing I couldn't handle, as I blasted them across the room, before feeling shocked afterwards.

For some reason, my biotics seemed stronger than usual. It was odd. Had something happened to me?

Several minutes later, I heard static crackle over the radio.

"Miranda?" I couldn't help but be annoyed by how alarmed I sounded. "Miranda, are you alright?"

"_Shepard, I'm - can you read -"_

"I think something's interfering with the signal," I said, before letting out a loud groan of annoyance when Miranda didn't respond. She was either hurt during this attack or the radio simply would not work.

Either way, I had to focus on getting myself out.

Along the way, I passed rooms that had several datapads containing notes, and then a single laptop. One of the things open on it was a single document entitled "The Lazarus Project." Headed by Miranda Lawson.

The first thing I remembered was the date. The last time "The Lazarus Project" was updated it was March 15th, 2185. I couldn't help but scowl at the possibilities as to what _that _meant. The date on the document could have simply been messed up. Things like that did happen.

The other scenario I could think of was that I had been out for two years. _But that meant..._

I opened one of the video recordings that had been attached. Miranda Lawson popped up on the screen, and she began talking in a similar way to that of a girl recording her hollo-diary.

_"Test subject has been recovered, but the damage was far worse than we initially feared," _I thought I saw Miranda wince, before she continued. "_In addition to the expected burns and internal injuries from the explosion, subject has suffered significant cellular breakdown due to long term exposure to vacuum and sub-zero temperatures."_

I took a careful step back.

The only way for that to have been possible was for me to have actually _died. _Assuming the 'subject' was actually me, of course.

"_Despite the extent of physical trauma, Wilson assures me subject is salvageable. The Lazarus Project will proceed as planned."_

I scoffed, then violently closed the laptop in anger. I didn't need to hear anymore of this. All I needed to know was that this facility was not Alliance, that I was dead for two years, and that someone thought they could play God and bring back the dead.

Not even Commander Shepard deserved to die in peace, it seemed.

As I turned away from the laptop, a couple more mechs had turned up out of nowhere.

_Son of a bitch, _I thought, before releasing a violent shockwave, blasting them both against the wall. The mechs exploded and broke apart, before shutting down. If Tali were here, she might have been able to actually shut them down without causing an explosion, but unfortunately, she wasn't. And I was never good at tech, despite the fact that she and Kaidan had both tried to teach me at separate times.

It was then that I felt a sudden pang. Where the hell were they, along with Liara? I knew that Garrus and Wrex had left the crew not long after Saren died, but those three...they were still on the ship. This wasn't an Alliance facility, I knew that. But they had to have an idea what was going on.

As I turned a corner, I came into contact with even _more _mechs. Someone was fighting them. A man - who I later found out was Jacob Taylor - pulling several of them across the room. When he turned and saw me, his eyes widened in surprise.

"Shepard?"

I couldn't help but scowl slightly, not for the first time since I awoke. Why was the guy so surprised when he most likely knew I was here?

"What the hell?" Jacob's surprise disappeared after a few moments when I proceeded to shoot the mechs across from us, before turning to him.

"I thought you were still a work in progress," he explained.

_What the hell is that supposed to mean?_

"Look," I began angrily. This was unfair, considering Jacob had done nothing to me, but that wasn't my concern at the time. "I don't know where the hell I am or how I got here. Plus, my head feels like an overripe melon ready to split open. How about you fill me in a little?"

Jacob's features dawned in realization.

"Damn," he shook his head. "I'm sorry. I forgot this is all _new _to you. I'm Jacob Taylor -"

"_Hostile detected."_

Anything else Jacob was about to say was thrown out the window when more mechs appeared, and once again I found myself shockwaving them across the room. It didn't seem to work, so Jacob pulled them, explaining what had happened to me as we did so.

"You and your ship were attacked and destroyed," Jacob began explaining, shouting over the sounds of gunshots and biotic explosions. "You were killed."

_Ah, so the dates on "The Lazarus Project" were correct, _I thought, but said nothing, while struggling to keep my facial expression as blank as possible.

I really _had _been dead for two years.

"Our scientists spent the last two years putting you back together. You've been comatose, or worse, that whole time," Jacob finished, before adding, "welcome to your new life."

He must have seen the shock on my face, because he raised his eyebrows and said, "speechless, huh?"

I scowled.

"I'm just having trouble wrapping my head around this, Taylor," was my response. "I'm sure you would too if you found out you had been dead for two fucking years."

Jacob nodded.

"Yeah, I can imagine," he said, understanding. "The Alliance officially declare you killed in action. The whole galaxy thinks you're dead. If we don't get to those shuttles, they'll be right."

I shrugged. Part of me wanted to play twenty questions with Jacob instead, but I knew if I didn't get out of this facility, I'd most likely never find out what happened to Kaidan, Tali or Liara.

Or exactly what happened to me.

Considering how _empty _I felt, I began to fear the worst.

* * *

><p>It wasn't long after that that Jacob and I encountered Wilson - one of the doctors working on the Lazarus Project. I vaguely recognized the man from the <em>last <em>time I had awoken. He had a broken leg, probably from trying to escape the mechs. _Poor bastard, _I thought, as I grabbed the medi-gel from across the room and healed him. It was then that he insisted that we get out of here as soon as possible, until Jacob brought up Miranda who was still alive.

"Forget about Miranda," Wilson snapped. "She was in D-Wing! The Mechs were all over that sector!"

"A bunch of mechs won't drop Miranda," Jacob insisted firmly. "She's _alive."_

If she actually had survived the mechs, then I respected her.

Liking, however, was a whole other story.

As Jacob and Wilson continued arguing, more mechs appeared. Wilson messed with his Omni-tool, and caused the canisters to overload, leaving us to go on forward. Or at least _I _thought so. Not long after that, Jacob indicated that I stop.

"Shepard, if I tell you who we work for, will you trust me?" He asked. I sighed, but said nothing, leaning against the wall.

"This really isn't the time, Jacob," Wilson interject tersely. Jacob shot him a look of annoyance.

"We won't make it if Shepard's expecting a shot in the back," Jacob told him, causing Wilson to cross his arms over his chest, before snorting in disdain.

"If you want to piss off the boss, it's your ass," he snarled. Jacob rolled his eyes, before turning back to me.

"Shoot," I told him.

"The Lazarus Project, the program that rebuilt you," Jacob began. "It's funded and controlled by Cerberus."

Those words were enough to make me step back in horror.

Cerberus were a terrorist organization, I knew that much. Formerly an Alliance black-ops group, Cerberus were a group that would do anything and everything to advance _humanity's _interests, not caring about anyone else. While I had disagreed with the Council and the Alliance on certain things - like the way they had dealt with Saren, for starters - I wouldn't go as far as Cerberus had gone.

Cerberus were also the ones responsible for decimation of my unit. Fifty marines had gone to Akuze, and only one person had survived.

Me.

For almost six years, I thought Akuze was an accident. A tragedy, and hopefully something to be forgotten. Unfortunately, when I found out Toombs was still alive, holding a gun to a Cerberus scientist, the memories boiled to the surface again. The only one who was able to reassure me after that had happened was Kaidan.

That was when I found out that Akuze was actually not an accident. It was actually deliberate, and Cerberus was responsible. Not everyone had died on Akuze. Some of my unit Cerberus had managed to capture and perform experiments on, with Toombs being the only survivor.

It was beyond my understanding that of all the fucking people in the galaxy, _Cerberus _were the ones who were willing to bring me back.

"Are you fucking _serious?" _I finally said, letting the anger sweep into my voice. Jacob frowned.

"There's more to it," Jacob assured me.

I rolled my eyes and scoffed, but said nothing. _Sure._

"The Alliance declared you dead. They gave up. Cerberus spent a fortune to bring you back."

But _why? _That boggled my mind the most.

"Look, I'd be suspicious too," Jacob told me. "But right now, we have to work together. I thought you deserve to know what's what. Once we're off the station, I'll take you to the Illusive Man."

I snorted. It took me great pains not to actually burst out laughing. Was someone actually named "The Illusive Man" or was that an alias? Even if it was an alias, it was stupid one. Jacob narrowed his eyes in my direction, before finishing.

"He'll explain everything. I promise."

"He'd fucking better," was my angry response. And while he was at it, he may as well explain Akuze as well. "I may as well explain that I'm _not _working with terrorists as well."

Jacob's frown deepened, but he said nothing. Wilson had said nothing throughout the entire conversation, and it was almost as if he wasn't present. Jacob led us down the hall, to where he said the shuttles were. On the way, we came across more mechs. I was starting to hate the sight of them. Once we got to the shuttle door, Jacob began to try and hack the door open, before it opened almost of it's own accord.

A woman appeared. She had long, dark hair, light blue eyes and a figure most would compare to that of a supermodel in the vids. The outfit didn't help matters, either. Something about her current demeanor suggested she was angry, and then she shot a glare in Wilson's direction.

"Miranda?" Wilson managed to ask. He sounded like he was wheezing. "But you were -"

Within a split second, Miranda pulled out a pistol, aimed it in Wilson's direction, and shot him. Wilson's body fell on the cold floor, while Jacob and I exchanged looks. We were about as confused as each other.

"Dead?" She finished.

"What the _hell _are you doing?" Jacob demanded. Miranda turned towards him with a smile. Her smile seemed fake to me.

"My job," she answered simply, with a shrug. "Wilson betrayed us all."

I scowled.

"Even if you're sure, did he deserve that welcome?" I asked her, eying her wearily. Miranda's smile quickly turned into a scowl.

"He sabotaged the security system, killed my staff, and he would have killed us," she answered.

"Are you sure about that, Miranda?" Jacob questioned. "We've known Wilson for years. What if you're wrong?"

Miranda shrugged again.

"I'm never wrong," she answered, smugly. "I thought you'd have learnt that by now, Jacob."

Something told me that questioning Miranda further was not the way to go about things, so I instead sighed in resignation.

"If you say so," I told her. "What's our next move?"

"We get on the shuttle and go," Miranda said. "My boss wants to speak with you."

I scoffed.

"You mean the Illusive Man?" I snapped. "I know you work for fucking _terrorists_."

Miranda didn't respond to me directly. She shook her head in Jacob's direction.

"Ah, Jacob." Miranda tittered. "I should've known your conscience would get the better of you."

Her words, although said in a fairly cheerful tone, were very condescending.

I _hated _condescending.

"Lying to the commander isn't the way to get her to join our cause," Jacob told her. Miranda rolled her eyes in response, before turning her attention back to me.

"Well, since we're getting everything out in the open, is there anything else you want to ask before we go, Commander?"

I looked around for a second. I wanted to ask about the Normandy, and what had happened to the rest of the crew. I knew they got out _alive, _but I wanted to find out what had happened since. I also wanted to know what had happened to me, for Kaidan's sake at the very least. But instead, I opted to bite my lip and go along.

I'd find out later, I'm sure.

"No," I said. "I've had enough of this station to last a lifetime."

"Or two, in your case," Miranda quipped. "Come on, let's go."

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><p>I was informed it would take the three of us about an hour and a half before we reached the closest Cerberus base. Most of that time was spent in silence, with Jacob asleep and Miranda fiddling with her omni-tool, no doubt talking with the Illusive Man. However, there was a time when Jacob was awake and Miranda had insisted on questioning me, fishing for details I normally didn't provide to anyone.<p>

I _still_ only told the basic story.

"Before you meet with the Illusive Man," Miranda began, "we need to ask you a few questions to evaluate your condition."

Before I could open my mouth to let out a snarky reply of my own, Jacob glared in her direction and scoffed.

"Come on Miranda, more tests?" Jacob asked incredulously. "Shepard took down those mechs without any trouble. That has to be good enough."

"It's been two years since the attack," was Miranda's response. "The Illusive Man needs to know that Shepard's personality and memories are intact."

I rolled my eyes, confused as to how the Illusive Man or either of these Cerberus lackeys could know how my personality was intact. I had never even met either of them.

My memories, however, were another matter entirely.

"Ask the questions," Miranda commanded. "Start with personal history."

Jacob sighed, before opening up his omni-tool in resignation.

"Records show you were a colony kid," Jacob began. "Lost your family when some slavers hit Mindoir."

I sat back in my chair in silence. Most people only knew the basic, watered down version of Mindoir, as most of it was information I refused to discuss with anyone. The only one who I had told - save for perhaps Anderson and the officials - was Kaidan. The public didn't know that my twin sister had also survived the attack. The public didn't know that my parents on Mindoir weren't actually my _real_ parents.

My real mother left me and Valerie - my sister - with some old friends of hers for reasons I _still _didn't completely understand. We were both three years old at the time, and she left. It wasn't until Hannah and Matthew Shepard moved us to Mindoir a year later that they formerly adopted us.

I didn't hear of any of this until I was sixteen. It was only a few weeks before the raid when I stumbled across old documents by accident. I was going to try and forge Matthew's signature onto a document for school, like the rebellious teenager I was.

I barely remembered my real mother. All I remember of her now was a woman with long, red hair a couple of shades darker than mine and a constantly anxious expression. As to my father, Hannah and Matthew refused to talk about him. As far as I was concerned, Amber Gordon and whoever my real father was abandoned me. The Shepards' were my real parents. They had raised me, and it was most of their ideals that had rubbed off on my (except Hannah's religious beliefs, which she and I never agreed on).

But the raid happened, and they had died during.

I could barely remember what happened during the raid, personally. I remembered finding Hannah's dead body in the stairwell of our house after coming in from playing Hide and Seek with visiting relatives, at Hannah's insistence. I was only going to grab a cup of water, but then my eyes landed on her body. I hadn't taken very many of those health classes at school like Valerie had, but I knew in an instant that she wasn't breathing. Neither were any of my aunts or much older cousins. The last thing I remembered of that day was that Matthew had instructed me to run and find Valerie, and then the two of us had to hide until help showed up.

I didn't remember anything else about the raid on Mindoir. I just remembered waking up in an Alliance facility, covered in bruises and other injuries. My therapist told me that I probably didn't remember what happened due to the fact that it was a very traumatizing event for then sixteen year old me, and my developing biotics made it worse. However, the injuries I sustained from the events suggested that the batarians - as well as the humans and other mercenaries that accompanied them - had beaten me bloody to the point where I almost died. I didn't care then. All I needed to know was that the family I had known for most of my life was dead and Valerie was gone.

Until she found me again.

"You enlisted and you survived a Thresher Maw attack that wiped out the rest of your team," Jacob continued. "Do you remember that?"

I sighed again.

Unlike Mindoir, where I could barely remember what happened during the attack, I remembered Akuze perfectly fine.

Fifty marines were sent to find out why the colony of Akuze had gone dark. It was in it's early stages of development. When we arrived at the colony, we found the settlement intact and no survivors in sight. My current Commanding Officer at the time - Anthony Robertson - decided it was fine for us to camp out that night. It was only a few hours later that the Thresher Maws attacked, causing all fifty of us to scramble around the camp. I had gotten out of the ordeal with several injuries, the worst of it being my broken legs, and guilt that lasted for years. But the events of Akuze caused me to meet Anderson, who recommended me for N7 training.

It was also how I reconnected with my twin sister.

She had shown up at the hospital about a month after Akuze, and the nurse had agreed to leave us be while we talked and caught up. Since then, we talked over the extranet and video chats as often as possible, and saw each other in person once a year. During the time I hunted for Saren, she and I talked quite a bit. The last time I saw her was when Kaidan and I took shore leave on Earth, and I introduced them both.

Unfortunately for me, Valerie kept her location a secret, insisting it had to do with her current occupation, which was classified. I understood. Plenty of _my _missions were classified as well. The fact that she was in my life at all in any shape or form was enough for me.

A sudden thought hit my mind. I was going to try to have to contact her as soon as possible, try and explain what happened. She must have thought I was dead for two years too. Maybe she would give me some advice on how get away from Cerberus.

"Of course I remember," I finally snapped. "Especially now, considering it was _you _fuckers that caused the entire thing in the first place."

Miranda shot me a glare after I said those words, but there was no way in hell that I would take that back. As far as I was concerned, Cerberus were murderous assholes and I was not working with them for love or credits. Jacob gave me no indication to show he was offended in any way.

"I read the report," Jacob said. "Fifty marines died on Akuze. You were the only one who lived." He turned back to Miranda, glaring at her. "_Satisfied_, Miranda?"

"Almost," was Miranda's reply. "Let's try something more recent."

"I wait with bated breath," I muttered bitterly.

"Virmire," Miranda began. I groaned inwardly. This was _not _something I wanted to talk about. "Where you destroyed Saren's cloning facility. You had to leave one of your squad behind to die in the blast."

"Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams was killed in action," Jacob added. "It was your call. Why did you leave her behind?"

I sat back even further in my chair. If there was one thing very high on the list of things I did _not _want to talk about with strangers, ever, it was the death of Ashley Williams. Ashley herself was a special person, and at first I couldn't stand her or her views on the world, but in time she became a friend...she was even like a younger sister.

Unfortunately, because of Saren and the fact that he and his geth played me at my own fucking game, I had to make a choice. According to the Alliance handbook, it was either a highly skilled soldier or a highly skilled medic _and _biotic to boot. According to what I was thinking, it was either a woman I had come to respect like a sister or the man I had tried and failed to not fall in love with.

It was one of those moments where I allowed myself to be _that _fucking selfish.

Ashley had a family back on Earth, who probably still took her loss hard. Three sisters with a single mother, and were depending on her. I sometimes couldn't help but wonder whether I had done the right thing by saving Kaidan, handbook or not.

"What do you want me to say?" I finally managed to bite out. "I left a friend of mine to die that day, and I didn't do it casually. But being in command means that sometimes you give orders knowing that your people are going to die."

"Do you think you made the right call?" Miranda asked. I turned to her for a second. For a split second the smug, Cerberus bitch I had been sitting with for the past hour was gone. She actually seemed genuinely concerned.

Unfortunately for her, I didn't care.

"None of your damn business," I said sharply. "All _you _need to know is I had to save as many people as I could. Ashley gave her life for the rest of the team. Without her, I couldn't have stopped Saren."

_She died a hero, _I finished wordlessly, but I couldn't say it in front these two.

"I understand, Commander," Jacob said. "And I wasn't judging your decision. _Everybody_ at Cerberus knows that cloning facility had to be destroyed."

"I feel _so_ much better," I deadpanned. "It's great to know I have the approval of a fucking _terrorist organization._ Especially the one that _murdered my unit._"

Miranda's features twisted in displeasure. She probably wanted me out of her sight as soon as possible, come to think of it.

"Shepard, think back to the Citadel, after the Alliance saved the Destiny Ascension, and you killed Saren," Miranda said. "What happened next?"

What happened next was simple enough. A few weeks after the Destiny Ascension was saved, the Council had offered humanity a spot in their all-exclusive playhouse. I recommended Anderson, my old mentor, as Councilor, much to the chagrin of humanity's then Ambassador, Donnel Udina. But I didn't care what that weasel-faced bastard thought. He had done absolutely _nothing _to advance humanity's interests, only his own. He had prevented me from going to Ilos when he knew full well what was going on.

"Him!" Udina had exclaimed, disgust very clear in the way he spoke. "You must be joking! Anderson prefers to let his..._fists_ do the talking!"

"Only with you, Ambassador," Anderson assured him, then we both exchanged looks.

So Anderson was to become the councilor, or so I thought.

"Humanity was offered a spot on the Council. I recommended Captain Anderson for the position," I told them.

"Yes, Captain Anderson is noq Councilor Anderson," Miranda said, with a nod, as if confirming my story. "But from what I hear, he preferred a life in the military."

At that news, I tried to suppress another groan. I had probably put the mentor I had respected for years in a situation he absolutely despised.

Way to go, me.

"Still, good to know that the human Council member isn't going to put politics ahead of defense," Jacob added. I turned to Miranda. She was reading something off her omni-tool, but then nodded again.

"Your memory seems solid," she said.

"Did you think it wouldn't be?" I demanded.

"No, but it never hurts to double check," Miranda responded. "There are other tests we really should run…"

"Come on, Miranda, enough with the quizzes," Jacob snapped, and I had to say I agreed. "The memories are there, and I can vouch for Shepard's combat skills personally."

Miranda scowled.

"I suppose you're right," she relented. "We'll have to hope the Illusive Man accepts our little field test as evidence enough."

"Evidence enough of what?" I snapped. Miranda said nothing, she only fiddled with her omni-tool again, before saying, "you'll find out in due time, Shepard."

None of us said anything to each other after that. Jacob fell asleep and Miranda continued fiddling with her omni-tool. I simply looked out the shuttle window, trying to think of a solution as to how I'd get away from Cerberus's clutches. They may have brought me back to life, but they couldn't hold me hostage.

I was Commander Shepard. I was the absolute _queen _of getting myself out of impossible situations.

A few minutes before we arrived, Miranda said something over her omni-tool, signalling that the shuttle was arriving at what later turned out to be another Cerberus facility. It was when we arrived that Miranda disappeared, insisting she needed to talk with the Illusive Man before I got the chance to, and said I should probably settle in before then.

Yes, because making myself feel at home in a Cerberus facility seemed like _just_ the way to go.


	3. Freedom's Progress

**A/N: Holy shit, this chapter is long. I had this written anyway, and wanted to submit it yesterday, but there wasn't time. Don't expect any others for awhile though. I'm still working on them**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter two: Freedom's Progress.<strong>_

_March 31st, 2185._

I didn't see the Illusive Man until the next day.

It was after I had woken up, and given new supplies by Miranda, who wordlessly handed me small boxes. The largest box contained a new hard-suit. It was black with red accents, but the N7 symbol that I had been used to having on my armor for years was absent. Oh, well. The other boxes contained things like a much better bio-amp, and a new omni-tool, as my old amp was most likely obsolete and my omni-tool was also ruined. I was unsure as to whether or not to accept the items, given that it was _Cerberus _who had given them to me in the first place, and they were murderous assholes. In fact, I even told Miranda to take them back, but she shook her head.

"They were given to you by the Illusive Man himself," she insisted. "If you don't want them, you'll have to take it up with him."

She spoke as if the Illusive Man was some sort of god.

I was offered something to eat, but I didn't accept. I wanted to speak with the Illusive Man as soon as possible, and make him explain what the hell was going on. I even said so, and stormed into a com room downstairs.

I honestly expected to meet with the Illusive Man in person, but instead we were talking to each other via a private extranet connection. What I saw was a hologram, and no doubt it was the same on his end. As for the Illusive Man himself, he was far from what I expected. From what I could gather, he looked like the sort that - if he were younger - he'd likely be a woman's man. Not my type, but still. He looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it, so I shook that thought away.

There was also something unsettling about the color of his eyes. They weren't quite..._right._

"Commander Shepard," he greeted. I narrowed my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest.

"Illusive Man," I returned, coldly. "I got the impression that we'd be meeting face to face."

"A necessary precaution," the Illusive Man claimed, before pulling out a cigarette seemingly out of nowhere and lighting it. I was suddenly glad that I wasn't meeting him in person. Smoking was fucking disgusting. "Not unusual for what you and I know."

I scowled darkly.

"You might be the reason I'm still alive, but that doesn't mean I trust you," I told him, my tone icy. The Illusive Man seemed to sense my skepticism and mistrust immediately, for he began again with, "you need to put your personal feelings aside."

I scoffed. I wasn't putting my 'personal feelings' aside for one moment to trust fucking _Cerberus._

"Humanity is up against the greatest threat of our brief existence," the Illusive Man continued, before taking another puff of his cigarette. I knew I wasn't actually in the room with him, but I could almost smell the smoke, and tried not to express my disgust. Smoking as an old fashioned habit that died out in the late twenty-first century. How someone now could even like such a thing was beyond me.

"The Reapers," I said.

The Illusive Man smiled. His smile was about as unsettling as his eyes.

"Good to see your memory's still intact," he responded. "How are you feeling?"

I snorted in anger.

"Cut the bullshit and get to the fucking point," I snapped. I had neither the time nor the patience to deal with this right now. "What are the Reapers doing that made you think you could play God?"

It was at that moment the Illusive Man chose to rise from his seat and approach the hologram of me that was no doubt in front of him. I tried not to show how unsettled I was. I was Commander Shepard, after all. There was no reason not to keep up appearances now just because I died.

"We're at war," he told me. _Tell me something I don't know, _I thought angrily, but didn't say it. I probably pissed off the Illusive Man enough as it is. "No one wants to admit it, but humanity is under attack. While you've been asleep, entire colonies have been disappearing."

_Colonies were disappearing?_

I was suddenly brought back to Mindoir, and when it had gone dark for about a week. If batarians could scare people into protecting their colonies better, what could the _Reapers _be doing?

"Human colonies," the Illusive Man added. "We believe it's someone working for the Reapers. Just as Saren and the Geth aided Sovereign. You've seen it yourself. You bested all of them. That's just one reason we chose you."

"I'll need more than words," I insisted. "I want proof before I take action against this."

"Oh?" The Illusive Man tapped his cigarette again. "Why is that?"

"Because I don't trust you," I told him, not even attempting to keep the ice out of my voice. "Just so we're clear."

"I'd be disappointed if I could persuade you that easily," The Illusive Man said simply. I felt my scowl deepen. "I have a shuttle ready to take you to Freedom's Progress - the latest colony to be abducted. Miranda and Jacob will brief you."

"Excuse me?" I snapped, alarmed by how quickly he had arranged everything. "I _never _said I'd work for you! You can't just volunteer me like that!"

"You always have a choice, Shepard," The Illusive Man said. _Yeah, right, _I thought disdainfully."If you don't find the evidence we're both looking for, we can part ways. But first, go to Freedom's Progress. Find any clues you can. Who's abducting our colonies? Do they have any connection to the Reapers? I brought you back. It's up to you to do the rest."

He waved a hand, almost as if to signal the fact that our conversation was over.

"Good luck, Shepard."

That was when he ended the call before I could protest further.

* * *

><p>I turned and left the comm room, trying not to think too much about what the Illusive Man had said. I was being forced to do something I didn't even want to do. By the time I was finished here, the Alliance would probably not want me back. They'd most likely arrest me and throw away the key, thinking I had been faking my death all along.<p>

_Oh, fuck...what will _Kaidan _say?_

"The Illusive Man is very impressed with you," Miranda said as I passed by her. I had fully intended to ignore her. She didn't seem all that eager to talk to me. "I'm eager to see if you'll live up to his expectations."

I narrowed my eyes in her direction. She obviously had an idea what I thought about Cerberus and their fucked up ideals, and what I no doubt thought of the Illusive Man. Maybe that's why she was so pissed off.

_Time to set the record straight._

"I can't have anyone disobeying my commands when we get there," I told her, keeping my tone as calm as possible. If she knew me well enough, she'd have to give me credit for that, as I was usually pissed off about _something. _But she didn't.

"I know who I report to," Miranda told me, her words were layered with ice. "So long as you don't do anything to betray Cerberus, I'll follow your orders."

Two could play at that game.

"So, tell me Lawson, are you naturally this bitchy or is it just me?" I asked her. Miranda lifted her eyes from the screen for the first time since we spoke and gave me a smile. A smile that was beyond insincere.

"I have the utmost respect for your abilities, Shepard," she told me. "It's your motivations that concern me."

"Why?" I snapped. "Because I don't go around spreading pro-human bullshit? Because I don't support performing nasty experiments on people for no good reason? Or because I've worked with aliens for the good of the entire galaxy?"

"I believe in what Cerberus stands for," Miranda elaborated, with an irritated tone of voice. "Only time will tell if you prove to be an asset or a liability to our cause."

I was about to open my mouth to speak, but Jacob announced that the shuttles were ready, and we had to leave. Miranda shot me another irritated glance.

"There's an assignment we need to do," she said. "We can talk or we can _do _it."

I said nothing in response, and instead went back to the bedroom I had slept in and grabbed the equipment the Illusive Man had given me.

It was then that I had the chance to look in the mirror.

My red hair hung over my face, and it was messy in a way that Alliance regs would never approve of. I quickly activated the omni-blade on my 'tool, and cut my hair back to what it normally looked like before. Short to the point where it hung over my ears, and nothing more. Then, I equipped the new bio-amp. For some reason, the biotics that I felt humming in my veins left more pronounced now. I had no idea whether it was the amp, the new implants I now no doubt had, or a combination of this. Either way, I decided to use this to my advantage.

The new armor was much better than the light armor the Alliance supplied me with all those years ago. For some reason, it seemed to fit much better, as well as the fact that I was assured it would be better in combat. I examined myself in the mirror. I looked almost like my old self again, except for the new scars that were across my face. Miranda had said they were a side effect from the Lazarus Project, and that I hadn't completely healed yet, but that I would in time. Until then, I pretty much had to deal with it.

When I was ready, I headed back out, following Miranda and Jacob to the Cerberus shuttle.

* * *

><p>Freedom's Progress was a human colony, but it was nothing like any of the colonies I had ever been to. It was certainly nothing like Mindoir, with it's vast farmlands very similar to Earth's at times, and it certainly wasn't Zhu's Hope, a bleak, desolate colony on Feros that I visited while I was hunting Saren. It was an average colony, actually.<p>

Except for the fact that all the Colonists were gone.

Instead, Miranda, Jacob and I encountered several mechs, similar to the ones that had attacked the Lazarus facility. When they had been dealt with, I heard Jacob and Miranda speak in hushed tones.

"Those mechs shouldn't have been hostile," Jacob pointed out. "They should have recognized us as human."

Only an extremely skilled tech expert would be able to hack the mechs, and I knew only one person who was able to do that in my lifetime. Fortunately, she wasn't here, and I couldn't help but be thankful for it as the three of us continued onwards through Freedom's Progress.

"Someone reprogrammed those mechs to attack on sight," Miranda said, angrily. "We're not alone here!"

Perhaps some had survived the attack on the colony, and they took extra care with those mechs. It didn't matter. I could disable them all with bullets or biotics.

The next building, however, didn't contain hostile mechs. A group of quarians, huddled together in a group, were present instead. I raised my eyebrows.

I had only ever really known one quarian personally, and that was Tali. Before I knew Tali, I was unsurprisingly ignorant and knew very little about quarians, and even believed half the bullshit the council races spewed about them being thieves and vagrants. I'm sure some of them are, but only because the council didn't really give them any choice. Tali's presence on the old Normandy made me realize how much of a closed-minded idiot I was, and she became my friend, and someone I'd trust my life with.

One of the quarians mumbled something about 'Cerberus operatives,' and raised his gun. Miranda and Jacob did exactly the same thing, but I didn't.

"Prazza, you said you'd let _me _handle this," I heard someone say. It was a voice I instantly recognized.

_Tali._

It was most definitely Tali, but there was something different about her now. She had changed in the past two years since the Normandy's destruction, and it showed. Gone was that shy, young quarian who had helped me take down Saren and a confident young woman had taken her place. It showed in her demeanor and stance, even though it didn't show on her face due to her helmet.

"_Cameron?"_

She was obviously shocked, because otherwise she would not have referred to me by my first name. No one, except perhaps Kaidan and my sister, ever called me by my first name. I just didn't allow it. People either referred to me by my rank of Commander, or by my last name 'Shepard' if that was too formal.

"Tali?" I returned.

The quarian behind her - Prazza - held up his gun again.

"I'm not taking any chances with _Cerberus _operatives," he spat. Tali turned back to him angrily.

"_Put those weapons down," _she hissed, before turning back to me. "Shepard...is that _really _you? You're _alive?"_

I nodded. No words could describe how glad I was to see a familiar face right now.

"Yes, Tali," I answered. "It's me."

She then pointed her gun in my direction.

"Prove it," she said, quietly. I couldn't blame her. It's exactly what _I'd _do if I were in her place.

"Remember the Geth data I gave to you?" I asked. "For your pilgrimage? Did it help?"

Tali looked at me carefully for a few seconds before lowering her gun.

"It's her," she told the other quarians behind her. The only one who didn't seem to believe her was Prazza.

"Dammit, Tali, this is bullshit!" Prazza exclaimed. "Why would your old commander be working with Cerberus?"

I narrowed my eyes in Prazza's direction.

"Just so we're clear," I began in an aggravated tone of voice, "I am _not _working for Cerberus. Just because they thought they could play God and bring me back to life, doesn't mean I answer to them. _You _of all people should know that, Tali," I finished.

"We're also well within our rights to investigate a _human _colony," Miranda added in her usual manner, which was as if she was superior to everyone else. I turned towards her, trying to make my irritation known. No one had asked for _her _opinion. "I'd like to know what the quarians are doing here."

Tali looked at all three of us carefully, before turning back to Prazza.

"Weapons down, Prazza," she snapped at him. Prazza reluctantly lowered his gun. "Whatever's going here I don't think we need another fight." She sighed, then turned back to me. "One of our people was here on Pilgrimage. His name was Veetor. We came to find him."

I knew about the pilgrimage. When a quarian reached a certain age, they were sent away from their Migrant Fleet and were not allowed to return until they brought back something of worth. When they had, they were officially adults in the eyes of quarian society.

Tali was on her pilgrimage when I first met her, and Saren's agents were trying to kill her for the information she had received. I hated to think about what poor, young Tali had gone through before joining me on the Normandy. She had probably struggled quite a bit, being a quarian in our extremely fucked up galaxy.

"You honestly think he's still alive?" Jacob asked. His voice brought me out of my thoughts so I could turn my attention to the more important things. "You guys are the first people we've seen. Alive or dead."

"We saw him when we landed," Prazza snapped. "Or rather, he saw _us _and ran. He was never that stable to begin with. Combine that with damage to his suit's CO2 scrubbers and an infection from an open-air exposure, and he's likely delirious."

I turned to Tali. She seemed to be really worried about what had happened to Veetor. Considering everything she had done for me, I couldn't just walk away from this.

I _had _to help.

Besides, perhaps Veetor had a good idea as to whatever the hell was going on.

"We'll help," I said to her. Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw Miranda scowl. Probably because we'd be wasting our time. Too bad. Tali was my friend, and I'd help her out anyway, whether it helped _Cerberus _or not.

"Good," Tali responded. "You'll need two teams to get past the drones anyway."

"Now we're working with _Cerberus?" _Prazza interjected. He seemed disgusted by the very idea. I couldn't see Tali's expression under the helmet, but I imagined she was scowling.

"No, Prazza, you're working _for_ _me," _was her response. "If you can't follow my orders, go wait on the ship."

That seemed to shut the idiot up.

"Head for the warehouse through the center of the colony," Tali told us. "We'll circle around the far side and draw off some of the drones to clear you a path."

I nodded. "Got it, Tali. Be sure to keep in radio contact."

"Will do," she assured me. "Good luck, Shepard. See you on the other side."

* * *

><p>The drones were a pain in the ass to take down, but Miranda seemed to have been able to overload them, while Jacob and I took down the remaining. It wasn't until we took them down that Tali's voice came in over the radio.<p>

_"Shepard!"_

"What is it, Tali?" I asked, cautiously. She sounded worried.

"_Prazza and his squad rushed ahead. I told them to wait but they wouldn't listen! They want to find Veetor and take him away before you get here!"_

"Oh, for fucks sake," I muttered. This was the last thing I needed right now. That and another Reaper invasion, but here I was.

"They did want to get to Veetor first," Miranda remarked. I pointedly ignored her.

We passed several more drones before we finally made it to where Veetor was supposedly hiding. When Tali warned us that Veetor had reprogrammed a heavy mech, I - along with Jacob and Miranda - took cover behind some old crates.

The YMIR mech was three times the size of me, and heavily protected by armor and shields, while it was able to shoot mini-rockets as well as bullets.

"This is gonna be one tough son of a bitch to take down," Miranda yelled.

"Finally, we agree on something," I yelled back. Miranda didn't respond, and only gave the mech her full attention. Not that I blamed her for that. The mech _was _trying to kill her.

She attempted to overload it, but with very little luck. Jacob ran behind it, and shot it several times with a shotgun and managed to bring it's shields down. That's when I took a second to charge towards it.

I very rarely charged towards enemies, as it left me with a headache afterwards that would be enough to rival Kaidan's headaches from simply _pulling _things, but this time I deemed it necessary. It was overwhelming at first, but I found that this time - still - my biotics were stronger than usual. This time I didn't have a headache, either, and found I was still able to fight.

"Nice one, Shepard!" I heard Jacob shout. "You've taken down it's shields!"

The mech was still standing, and this time advancing in my direction. That was probably my own fault, but being a highly skilled vanguard of the Alliance Military, I knew how to handle this. Up close and personal was generally my style.

Together, all three of us destroyed the mech, and ran in separate directions when it exploded.

"I fucking _hate _mechs," I muttered under my breath, panting for breath in between every word. After taking a few minutes to catch our breath, we found Tali nearby, treating some injured quarians. Apparently Prazza and two others that had followed him were killed. While I hadn't wished it on him, I wasn't surprised to hear it, but didn't tell Tali so. She didn't need to hear that now. Or ever, really. She then told me to hurry and find Veetor, who was discovered in a warehouse not too far way, in front of a bunch of glowing screens, muttering to himself.

"Monsters coming back," he muttered anxiously. "Mechs will protect. Safe from swarms. Have to hide. No swarms. No...no….no -"

I raised my eyebrows. While Prazza said that Veetor was unstable, I wasn't really expecting this.

"Veetor?"

"No Veetor!" Veetor cried. "Not here. Swarms can't find. Monsters coming. Have to hide -"

"I'm talking to you!" I yelled, impatiently, then instantly regretted it. Veetor was a _kid. _Not much older than Tali was when I first met her. And he likely didn't have a very good idea as to what was going on. I didn't need to take out my anger on my current situation on a mentally unstable quarian.

"I don't think he can hear you, Commander," Jacob spoke up. I carefully considered what he had said, then pulled out my gun and shot the metal walls near the screen. Thankfully, the bullet didn't actually hit the screen, and instead only dented the wall. Veetor suddenly tore himself away from the screen, and towards us.

"You're human," he said, realizing. "Where did you hide? How come they didn't find you?"

"Who didn't find us?" Miranda demanded. I wanted to know exactly the same thing. Veetor seemed more than a bit anxious as he shifted his head from me to Jacob and then Miranda,

"The… the monsters," Veetor answered. I sighed. 'Monsters' wasn't very specific as it could mean almost anything. "The swarms. They took everyone."

"Why didn't they fight back?" I wondered aloud. Veetor glanced in my direction, before turning back to the screens in front of him.

"You don't know…" he shook involuntarily. "You didn't see….But I see everything."

Veetor fiddled with his omni-tool, and then several still images appeared on the screen. The images were more than a bit blurry, but they cleared up soon enough.

"Looks like security footage," Miranda said. "He must have pieced it together manually."

The images - which actually weren't images - started playing. What I thought at first were people started dragging still bodies towards a large ship.

"What the hell is that?" Jacob asked.

Miranda blanched. "My god...I think it's a Collecter."

"What the _fuck _are you talking about, Lawson?" I demanded. In all my life, I have _never _heard of a 'Collector.'

"They're a species from beyond the Omega 4 relay," Jacob explained. "Only a few people have ever seen one in person."

Well, geez. That made them sound absolutely nightmare inducing. To normal people. However, I knew that if I could solve the problem with bullets, it was no problem I couldn't solve.

"They usually work through intermediaries, like slavers or mercenaries," Miranda continued. "If they're involved with the Reapers somehow, it could explain what happened to the colonies."

"The Collectors are kidnapping lackeys for the Reapers, then?" I asked. Before anyone could answer, I help up a hand. "You know what? Don't even answer that. It was a stupid statement."

"The Collectors have advanced technology, though," Jacob told me. "They could have a weapon that disables an entire settlement at once."

The very thought was unsettling.

"The seeker swarms," Veetor cut in, still shuddering as he spoke. "No one can hide. The seekers find you. Freeze you. Then the monsters take you...away."

"What happened next?" I asked him, trying to keep my tone calm.

"The monsters took the people onto the ship, and then they left!" Veetor sounded like he was on the verge of tears. "The ship flew away. But they'll be back for me. No one escapes!"

"I think that's probably all we're getting out of him, Commander," Jacob told me. I turned towards Veetor and eyed him thoughtfully. Trying to comfort him with false words and hugs didn't seem like the right way to go, as he was traumatized and the only ones who seemed fit to do so were people he actually knew. Instead, I decided to thank him.

"We..._appreciate_ what you told us," I said. "You were very helpful."

Those words seemed to calm Veetor a little.

"I studied the monsters," he told me. "The swarms. I recorded them with my omni-tool. Lots of readings. Electro-magnetic. Dark energy."

"We need to get this data to the Illusive Man," Miranda said. "Grab the quarian and call the shuttle to come pick us up."

I opened my mouth to speak, but before I could voice my own opinion on the matter, the door to the warehouse opened and Tali entered. Her stance gave away her emotion, and I could tell that she was angry. She must have heard what was said, including when I got impatient with Veetor and shot the wall. I tried not to show my embarrassment.

"What?" She snapped. "Veetor is _injured!_ He needs treatment, not an interrogation!"

"We won't hurt him," Jacob stated. I scowled, not believing those words for a second. If I knew anything about Cerberus, it was that they generally hurt people, directly or indirectly. Double it for non-human people, as Cerberus was generally fond of spreading their pro-human bullshit whenever they could. "Once we get the data we need, we'll return him unharmed."

"Your people tried to betray us once before," Miranda interjected. "If we give him to you now, we'll never get the intel we need."

I couldn't see Tali's expression under the helmet, but she was probably scowling again.

"Prazza _was _an idiot, and he and his men did pay for it," Tali began. "You're welcome to take Veetor's omni-tool data but, please, just let me take him."

Tali's voice was pleading, and even if I didn't already think that Veetor needed to go back to the fleet with his own people, her voice would have persuaded me otherwise. Miranda opened her mouth to protest again, but I shot her a fierce glare.

"Lawson," I warned.

"Commander," she snapped. "That information is _vital. _If the quarian goes back to the fleet, we could lose -"

That did it.

"_Shut the fuck up," _I snarled. I was angry enough for it to effect my biotics, and that generally wasn't a good sign, but right then I didn't care. "Last I checked, your precious Illusive Man put _me _in command of this mission, not you. And _I _say that he goes with Tali!"

Miranda scowled, and was about to open her mouth to speak again, but I cut her off.

"Besides, Lawson, you can _clearly _see the poor kid is traumatized," I continued. "And needs medical care. Medical care Cerberus probably doesn't want to give him. For fucks sake, Tali already said you guys are welcome to his Omni-tool data, why are you making this harder?"

Miranda looked as if she wanted to disappear on the spot. Jacob sighed. I turned to Tali with a smile.

"Thank you, Shepard," she said. "Glad to see you're still the one giving the orders."

While we waited for the shuttle to arrive, Tali pulled me away from bother Cerberus operatives, and I had to say I was glad to be out of their sight. Especially Miranda's.

"What happened in the past two years?" I asked her.

"I completed my pilgrimage and joined the crew of the _Neema," _she told me. "And, I'm undertaking an important mission for the fleet, but I can't tell you about that. Not while you're with Cerberus."

I nodded.

"I understand," I said. She really had grown up in the past two years, and I couldn't help but feel proud, not that I'd ever admit it. "Have you heard from...the others?"

Tali sighed.

"I'm afraid not," she admitted. "Though I know that the last time I heard anything, Kaidan was promoted and Liara went to Illium. I heard this the day of your funeral. Anyway, about Kaidan…"

I sighed. I knew the way this conversation was going, and I didn't like it.

"...if Cerberus really brought you back, do you know anything about…" Tali's voice trailed off. "Have you heard from him?"

I sighed.

"No, Tali," I answered. "He probably doesn't even know I'm alive."

"I'm sorry, Cameron," she said. I frowned slightly. "And I'm hoping you won't mind if I call you that. Maybe when you get to see Kaidan…"

I looked towards the dark night sky. It had been early when I had arrived at Freedom's Progress. Now it seemed I had been here for hours, and it was most likely early evening by now. It was then I realized I was trying to think of anything but Kaidan right now.

"I hope so," was all I said. I turned to look away from Tali, not wanting to betray how hurt I really was.

Soon enough, we were ready to go back to yet _another _Cerberus facility. As soon as I got back, I met with the Illusive Man, determined to tell him I was done with him and Cerberus's bullshit, and that I was leaving. Going back to the Alliance and telling them what Cerberus were planning. But my feelings of disgust towards Cerberus weren't as strong as before. As much as I hated to admit it to myself, I knew Cerberus were probably right. This time, anyway. They were actually trying to do something good for once, and the Alliance and the council weren't doing shit.

Of course, with the council, that was to be expected. Even after Saren.

"Shepard. Good work on Freedom's Progress," the Illusive Man told me when we met again. I rolled my eyes. His praise meant _nothing _to me. "The quarian's forwarded their findings from Veetor's debriefing. No new data, but it's a surprising olive branch given our history."

I wanted to ask about Cerberus's history with the quarians, but I didn't. That wasn't really important right now.

"You and I have different methods, but I can't argue with your results," he finished.

I scoffed.

"One of the ways you and I are different is that I actually play nice," I told him. The Illusive Man didn't seem bothered by my sarcastic, mocking tone, but I thought he winced slightly.

"Diplomacy is great when it works, but it's difficult when everyone already perceives you as a threat," he said. "But more importantly, you confirmed the Collectors are behind the abductions."

I raised my eyebrows.

"_Confirmed?" _I demanded. "So you knew about this _already?"_

"I had my suspicions, but I needed proof," The Illusive Man claimed. "The Collectors are enigmatic at best. They periodically travel to the Terminus Systems, looking to gather seemingly unimportant items and specimens. Usually in exchange for their technology. When their transactions are complete, they disappear as quickly as they arrived back through the unmapped Omega 4 relay. Until now, we've had no evidence of direct aggression by the Collectors."

I narrowed my eyes in his direction.

"How's about you quit bullshitting me," I snapped. "How do you know the _Reapers_ are involved?"

"The patterns are there, buried in the data," The Illusive Man's brow furrowed. "The Council and the Alliance want to believe the Reaper threat died with Sovereign."

I scoffed, knowing what the Illusive Man was saying was perfectly true. The council, although I had told Hackett and the rest of the fleet to save them, still blew off my concerns about the Reapers like it was nothing worth worrying about, and chose to bury their heads in the sand, just like they had when Anderson and I came to them with our concerns about Saren. The Alliance weren't much better, and had backed the council up on sending me to take down the remaining geth forces, even though everyone on the Normandy agreed it was complete bullshit only done to quell ridiculous rumors.

The fact that the council was completely ignoring the impending Reaper threat wasn't surprising in the least.

"You and I know better," The Illusive Man continued. "I won't wait until the Reapers are on the march. We need to take the fight to them."

Part of me wanted to say I agreed, but I didn't. He was still a part of Cerberus, and the fucking mastermind behind it all, for christ's sake. I wasn't letting my guard down now.

"Sounds like I'll need an army," I quipped. "Or, you know, a really decent team. If this is really a war…"

The Illusive Man either missed my sarcasm, or chose to completely ignore it. I think it was the latter.

"I've already compiled a list of soldiers, scientists, and mercenaries," he assured me. "You'll get dossiers on the best of them. Finding them and convincing them to work with you could be challenging, but you're a natural leader."

Oh, great. He was telling me what to do again. What luck. Not only that, but he expected me to work with complete and utter strangers when I already _had _a team.

"I'll continue to track the Collectors," he continued. "When they make their next appearance, I'll notify you and your team. Be ready."

"Keep your list," I snapped. "I want people _I_ can trust. The ones who helped me stop Saren and the Geth."

The Illusive Man took a puff from his cigarette.

"That was two years ago, Commander," he said. "Most of them moved on, or their allegiances have changed."

"Quit talking to me like I'm a fucking child and answer my damn questions. Where's Urdnot Wrex?"

Urdnot Wrex, formerly a krogan mercenary, was a really good friend of mine. Most people were scared shitless when a krogan entered a room - at least in Citadel space anyway. I used to be like that, and I had to admit I was a little intimidated when I first met Wrex. It wasn't long after I met him that he offered to help me take down Saren, free of charge.

Well, to put it more appropriately, he _demanded _to help me take down Saren, free of charge. I didn't have that much of a problem with it.

Wrex wasn't like other krogans I had met. Most other krogans were blood-thirsty bastards who took it upon themselves to seek battle everywhere they went, part of the reason why they were doomed in the first place. Wrex did love battle, but he had a different mindset to the stereotypical krogan. He thought the krogan clans should stop focusing on battle and try to breed and get back up in the world (something that was almost impossible thanks to the Genophage, thank you very much, council), and he had even tried to fix this problem, only for him to fail at persuading the other krogan and him to leave Tuchanka for several centuries.

I found out, however that despite his claims to the contrary, Wrex deeply cared about the fate of the Krogan people. We even had an argument about it on Virmire when he pulled a gun on me due to the fact that we were going to destroy saren's cloning facility - and with it, a possible Genophage cure.

"He returned to Tuchanka and hasn't gone off world in over a year," The Illusive Man claimed. "I hear he's trying to unite the krogan clans."

Ah, so the old bastard was trying to help his people? Good for him! I couldn't think of anyone better.

"Liara T'Soni?" I snapped out the question, then thought about Liara and what she must have been going through over the past two years, considering. She must have taken my death pretty hard.

When I first met Liara, any expectations I had regarding her as a person shattered instantly. I went looking for her because she was Benezia's daughter, and Benezia was working with Saren. The Council had thought that because of that tiny, unimportant detail, Liara _must _be working with her mother.

I had thought so, too, when we went looking for her. However, any doubts about her loyalty were erased when I first met her, face to face. She was trapped behind some kind of prothean security device, mostly because _Saren's _geth were trying to kill her.

Being only a hundred and six years old (like a young adult in asari years, they lived for around a thousand), Liara knew very little about the world around her. Even less so than most asari her age, as Liara wasn't a social butterfly at all. She had trouble with people. and it showed in the way she spoke. However, she started to get better and better at this during the months she lived on the _Normandy. _Liara looked up to me, but she never told me this herself. Others had. I couldn't help but worry about her and where she was.

"She's on Illium," The Illusive Man said. Considering what Tali had told me hours before, I already knew this. "My sources say that she's working for the Shadow Broker. If so, she can't be trusted."

I snorted at that last part, knowing it was complete and utter bullshit. If the Illusive Man wasn't lying to me directly, someone was to him. Liara knew what kind of a person the Shadow Broker was. She had heard Tali recount her story, and listened attentively when we told her about Fist and why it was best to keep away from him. There was no way she would be _that _stupid.

"Garrus Vakarian?"

Now Garrus was another story. A former officer at C-Sec security, Garrus was a turian who clearly had a chip on his shoulder. He told me stories of how he lived his life on the Citadel, and how sick he was of the Citadel's politics, and the way C-Sec's regulations worked.

"It shouldn't matter how I do a job, as long as I do it," he had said. Generally, I agreed, however I did have to teach Garrus that there _was _a time and a place for such things. When I agreed to help him take care of some old business with a salarian named Dr. Saleon, or Dr. Heart as he liked to call himself. His point of view on certain subjects changed after that, thankfully.

Not only that, but his skill with a sniper rifle was fucking impressive, and I told him so many times.

When Saren was defeated, he declared he was going to go back to C-Sec, and hopefully do a better job this time. I honestly had no idea whether to be happy for him or view it with cynicism. In the end I chose to be happy.

"The turian disappeared a few months after you declared dead," was the Illusive Man's response. "Even _we_ haven't been able to locate him."

I took a deep breath, and decided to ask the last question. Then, I would be done.

"Kaidan…" I mumbled, before noticing the Illusive Man was eyeing me, almost in concern. I straightened up, trying not to show just how unsettled I was.

"Where's Kaidan Alenko?"

_Kaidan, _I thought. He was my lieutenant back on the Normandy, and someone I came to trust. Someone who was there for me, even when I didn't really deserve it. Someone who understood me in ways that not many others did.

Someone I had tried _and _failed not to fall in love with.

At first I ignored any developing feelings I may have had for Kaidan. I knew he was attractive as hell, but many men I had served with were attractive as hell. It was nothing special. At least not until we became friends and started to know more and more about each other. I started to trust him with information I never really trusted to anyone else before. I told him about Valerie and my parents, and how I felt about Akuze. He told me about his experiences at BAaT.

We didn't _fully _come to terms with our feelings for each other until the night before Ilos, when we spent the night together. I still remembered it vividly. The way he kissed me, the way he whispered my name, the way his hands ran through my hair…

Sometimes I couldn't help but wonder what it was he even saw in me in the first place, being the cold-hearted bitch I was at times. However, it was Kaidan who reminded me that there was more to me than Commander Shepard.

I had to give him credit for that.

"He's still with the Alliance. Promoted, I believe." Ah, so Tali was right. "His file is surprisingly well-classified."

I sighed.

I was completely and utterly _alone._

"You're a leader, Shepard. You'll get what you need," The Illusive Man tried to assure me. However, I didn't find it comforting in the least. Not from him.

"What do you want me to do?" I asked in resignation. The Illusive Man took another puff from his cigarette.

"Two things before you go," he said. "First, head to Omega and find Mordin Solus. He's a brilliant salarian scientist. Our intelligence suggests he may know how to counteract the Collectors paralyzing seeker swarms."

"And the second?" I asked wearily.

"I've found a pilot I think you might like. I hear he's one of the best. Someone you can trust."

_Someone I could trust, _I thought angrily. _Right. _Unless the pilot happened to be my old pilot, Joker, then that was rather unlikely.

Joker was probably gone just like the rest of them. Moved on.

"Hey, Commander."

I felt my ears perk up once I heard those words. Unless my ears were deceiving me, that voice was familiar. And if that voice was familiar, then it was as if my mind had just been read like an open book.

I turned around, and before my very eyes was Jeff 'Joker' Moreau, standing right in front of me, wearing Cerberus gear.

"Joker?" I asked in disbelief. "Is that...really you?"

"Of course it's me, Commander! Didn't you recognize me?" He quipped, before breaking out into a grin. "This is just like old times, huh?"


	4. Getting Started

**A/N: ****Just to be clear, this is where the artistic license begins. Meaning, the introduction of an important OC, even if she doesn't appear. She's still mentioned however.**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter three: Getting Started.<strong> _

Joker was here, and he was with Cerberus.

With everything considered, I wasn't sure as to whether or not I should be glad to see him, or angry that he even took the job Cerberus gave him. And I knew he had expressed his disgust for Cerberus when we all found out about what kind of an organization they were.

Joker hadn't exactly been part of my squad back on the Normandy, but he had been part of the team. He was the pilot - and one of the best in the Alliance, despite the fact that he had Vrolik's syndrome or 'brittle bone disease.'

That was another thing. He was _walking_, something that he wasn't able to do before, even though it was with a noticeable limp. When I asked him about it, he told me Cerberus had operated on him during the time I had been dead, before proceeding to joke about in his usual manner.

Joker and I stood around for a great deal of time after I saw him again, talking about what had happened during the past few years, before he insisted there was something I needed to see, and lead me upstairs.

"I still can't believe it's you, Joker," I said.

He chuckled.

"Look who's talking! I saw you get spaced!"

He had. While I had ordered everyone to get to the escape shuttles, Joker insisted on staying behind to try and save his ship. In turn, I had stayed behind, thinking I could save him. While I had managed to save Joker, however, I ended up dying.

"I guess I got lucky," was my response. "With a _lot_ of strings attached. How'd you end up here, anyway?"

Joker's smile faded.

"It all fell apart without you, Commander," he told me. "Everything you stirred up, the Council just wanted it gone."

"Of course they did," I said bitterly.

"It was bad, though, Commander. Team broken up, records sealed, and I was grounded."

"Are you fucking serious?" I asked, incredulous. Joker was one of the Alliance's best pilots. To ground him was _insane._

"Yep, I am. The Alliance took away the one thing that mattered to me. So hell yeah, I joined Cerberus. They gave it back!"

I couldn't help but wonder what Joker meant by that.

"You really trust the Illusive Man?" I asked.

"Well, to be honest, I don't trust anyone that make more than I do," he joked. "But they aren't all bad. Saved your life. Let me fly. And there's this."

Before I could answer, Joker pressed a button on the wall. Lights shone in the next room, and it eventually revealed a ship.

_My_ ship.

Only it wasn't really the Normandy SR-1 like it had been before. It was much larger and it had Cerberus colors instead.

Cerberus had given me a _ship._

"It's good to be home, huh, Commander?"

I turned back to Joker and couldn't help but grin, despite myself.

"I guess we'll have to give her a name," was all I said before we started back downstairs.

* * *

><p>An hour later, I found myself aboard the new Normandy. While I did have to admit that the CIC looked very much like the old Normandy's, something about it was different. It was larger, for one. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed an elevator in the place where the door to the com room once was. I later found that Cerberus took it upon themselves to rearrange where some of the rooms were on the original ship, something that unsettled me for absolutely no reason at all.<p>

Joker was sitting in the cockpit, spinning his new chair simply because he could. Other crew members scattered the CIC, talking amongst themselves. At least until I entered the room. A young woman who looked barely more than eighteen, with short, ginger hair dropped her datapad when she saw me enter the room, before hastily picking it up and scurrying out of sight.

"Welcome to the new Normandy, Commander," Jacob said as I looked around the CIC. Being on this ship didn't feel right.

At _all._

"I've been looking over the dossiers, I'd strongly recommend starting by acquiring Mordin Solus, the salarian professor on Omega," Miranda interjected. "We know the Collectors use some type of advanced tech to immobilize their victims. We'll need him to develop a countermeasure to protect us."

I scowled in her direction.

"What part of 'you are not in charge' don't you understand?" I demanded. Miranda looked as if she was about to throw me across the room. Jacob shot her a warning glance, and she calmed down. Barely.

_"Operative Lawson makes a valid point, Commander,"_ an electronic voice chimed in. I sharply turned around and saw a holographic image of...well, an orb was the most accurate thing I could think of to describe it.

"And just who are you?" I asked.

_"I am the Normandy's artificial intelligence. The crew like to refer to me as 'EDI.'"_

So not only did he see fit to bring me back from the dead (I later found out that he had spent over four billion credits to do so) and give me a ship, but he also installed an AI onto said ship.

A fucking AI, of all things.

Every encounter I had with actual AI - not VIs that almost everyone in Citadel space used for something - ended in complete disaster. The geth were one example, and that rogue AI on Luna, which Hackett sent me to deal with with only my crew for help was another.

The Illusive Man was a fucking moron.

Not only that, but I was fairly certain that Joker wouldn't approve of this, either.

"Helmsmen aren't happy when someone takes control of a ship away from them," I responded, shaking my head as I did so. "Especially Joker."

_"I do not helm the ship,"_ EDI said. _"Mr. Moreau's talents will not go to waste. During combat, I operate the electronic warfare and cyber warfare suites. Beyond that, I cannot interface with the ships systems. I observe and offer analysis and advice. Nothing more."_

Then, the holographic orb disappeared. Miranda turned towards me with a nasty smile.

"Jacob and I should return to our posts," she said icily. "Come find us if you have any questions."

Jesus, I had many questions, but decided it wasn't the time to ask any of them. Instead, I looked around the CIC. I probably looked like a complete idiot the way I stared at everything, as if daring to ask if it was real.

_Straighten up, Shepard_, a voice at the back of my head whispered, _you need to pull yourself together._

I passed by the young, redheaded girl again, and this time she was standing in front of a screen, typing away furiously. Until she noticed me anyway, then she tore her eyes away from the screen completely.

"Commander Shepard?" Her eyes widened until they were almost the size of dinner plates. "I'm Yeoman Kelly Chambers. I've been assigned as your administrative assistant. I'll manage your messages and help you monitor the crew." She beamed. "And I must say, it's such an honour to work under you, Commander Shepard."

"I'm glad to have you on the team, then, Miss Chambers," I said, keeping my tone as polite as possible.

Kelly only beamed again.

"Oh, please, Commander," she seemed nervous all of a sudden. "Just call me Kelly."

I shrugged. If she didn't want to be formal, then that was her business.

"Okay, Kelly." Cheerfulness practically radiated off her, and that was unusual, given that it was Cerberus. "You mentioned that you're my administrative assistant. What are your responsibilities?"

"I'll keep you notified of any messages or appointments you might have," Kelly told me. "If any of the crew has important business to discuss, I'll make sure you know."

Honestly, I gathered that if a crew member had important business with me, they'd most likely tell me themselves, but I didn't say it.

"Isn't that the task better suited to a VI?" I asked. Kelly frowned slightly, but then smiled again.

"Yes, but being your yeoman is my _official_ role," she responded. "Unofficially, I observe the crew. Everyone knows how risky this mission is. Many of us may not be coming back. That's a lot of pressure."

_You don't say_, I thought bitterly.

"I have a degree in psychology," Kelly continued. "I'm good at sensing when people are overly taxed."

Great. So I had a Cerberus shrink. That sounded just great! Not only that, but as Kelly and I continued talking, it sounded like the Illusive Man handpicked her himself.

Just another person Cerberus had manipulated, from the sounds of things. Even worse, she was only a young adult (older than she looked, as I later found out, but still fairly young). The fact that he would handpick someone who acted like a teenager for this mission at _all_ didn't sit well with me.

"You have unread messages at your private terminal, by the way," Kelly called after me when I decided to continue viewing the rest of the ship. "Also, Joker wants to see you!"

Joker was sitting where he was before, in the cockpit, turning his chair until he saw me.

"Can you believe this, Commander?" He turned the chair again, more dramatically this time. "It's my baby! It's better than new! It fits me like a glove!"

Joker's grin widened.

"And leather seats!" Joker sounded not unlike that of a kid in a candy store. "Military may set the hardware standard, but on a first-gen frigate they could care less if the seats breathe. Civilian sector comfort, by design."

_"Reproduction was not intended to be perfect, Mr. Moreau. Seamless improvements were made,"_ EDI's voice chimed in. I turned around. For the first time since I entered the cockpit, I noticed that EDI's holographic avatar was beside Joker. I imagined he had something to say about it.

And I was right.

"And there's the downside," he remarked. "I liked the Normandy when she was beautiful and quiet. Now she's got this _thing_ I don't want to talk about. It's like ship cancer."

I snorted when Joker said those words. As much as I didn't want to admit it, I felt as it those words would eventually become accurate.

"Hate to break it to you, Joker, but nothing here is the same as on the old Normandy."

"There's _us,"_ Joker pointed out. I had to give him credit. He _was_ trying. "I have to take what I can get. The last two years _sucked."_

Considering what Joker had told me before, I had no doubts about that whatsoever.

"You'll see. Even if an AI is spying on us, no way they'll invest this much money just to screw us over. It'll be better than the old days."

"I hope so," I said, dryly. "I did _die,_ you know."

"Gah! Commander, you're such a downer!" Joker made a face, before pulling a serious one again. "Anyway, Commander, have you decided where we're headed yet?"

I rolled my eyes. I hadn't even _looked_ at the fucking dossiers yet, but apparently Miranda had. Until I had, I decided it was probably best to let it wait.

"Nope," I answered, simply. "But we'll worry about that tomorrow. I think everyone should have a good night's rest first."

Joker pouted. He knew I was saying it more for his sake than my own.

"Even when we just got this shiny new ship?" He asked, swiveling in his chair again for effect. I frowned.

"Yep," I said. "Don't know about you, but I've had a _long_ couple of days, Joker. I even took down a heavy mech, and fuck if _that_ wasn't exhausting. And I happen to know what you're like. On the Old Normandy, you underslept."

"One of the perks of being a pilot," Joker responded.

I laughed, slightly. It was almost as if we _were_ back on the old Normandy now. The only thing missing was the crew.

"Get some rest, Joker. I mean it. Because, if I'm guessing right, we're going to have a long few days."

"I think you mean _weeks,_ Commander," he joked as I left the cockpit. I pushed the buttons on the elevator door, and went to where I was told was my bedroom.

* * *

><p>My bedroom...was not what I expected.<p>

Back on the old Normandy, I took over the captain's quarters once Anderson had resigned, and I never got used to it. I was used to sleeping in bunks and sleeper pods with everyone else. However, having my own room on the Normandy did have it's perks.

Like when Kaidan and I spent time together, for whatever reason. Outside of my own bedroom on the Normandy, we generally had to act professional. But that room eventually became our special place on the Normandy.

The room, however, was quite small. Smaller in comparison to my new bedroom anyway. It had all the basics, such as a bed and a desk with the necessities and more. The desk was well supplied. I spied a stack of datapads (most likely the dossiers), a terminal, some medals (merely decorative) and even some books. Barely anyone had actual paper books anymore. Beside the desk was a small bathroom. I raised my eyebrows. Not that I didn't appreciate the gesture, but the fact that Cerberus thought that the Commanding Officer warranted their own bathroom was silly.

The lower half of the room, which was divided by a large, glass (and empty) case, had the bed, and various leather couches around the room. I chuckled slightly, picturing Joker's reaction. Beside the largest couch was a smaller desk. On the other side of the room, there was a large closet, which I would be able to use to store casual clothing as well as my hardsuits.

There was also an aquarium.

How Cerberus thought it was necessary to add a fish tank - which I would probably _never_ use - I have no idea. It still lit up the room when I shut off the lights that night, so I suppose it could double as_more_ light if I ever needed it.

After a shower, I crawled under the covers of my new bed, too tired to even think about reading the dossiers or the messages Kelly told me were there that needed reading. I took comfort in the fact that I was actually tired.

Usually I found it hard to sleep at all.

And even then, it was only for a few hours.

It was about five in the morning when I awoke, much to my annoyance. I had awoken from yet another nightmare, and I had awoken from it alone. Usually, when I woke up from those sorts of nightmares, Kaidan was somewhere nearby to reassure me. However, he wasn't this time.

I missed him already.

The prothean visions were still there, and they gave me a headache just thinking about them. So I did my best not to and headed to the bathroom, where I got myself a glass of water, sipping on it slowly. It was fairly obvious to me that I was not going back to sleep that night, so I sat at my new desk and looked at the messages that Kelly informed me about. Most of them were from the Illusive Man, and I didn't even bother to read most of them. The next thing I looked at was the dossiers.

There were six of them, and four of them lead me to Omega, an infamous space station in the Terminus Systems. I had been to Omega once, for an assignment when I was a Private. Thankfully, I hadn't been there very long, but what I did remember was that it was filled with criminals, terrorists and the rejected. I had to question who the Illusive Man thought I should recruit.

There was the salarian scientist Mordin Solus, a name I had heard Miranda and the Illusive Man use, but at the time I paid very little attention. The next three I hadn't heard of, but paid close attention.

There was Zaeed Massani, a ruthless mercenary and bounty hunter that usually operated out of the Terminus Systems, and had signed on with Cerberus for credits. Archangel, a vigilante that took it upon himself to get rid of Omega's criminals. I snorted. _Good luck with that._ Aside from that, Cerberus didn't know very much about him. I guess I was on my own there.

The third went by the name of Starflyer. I didn't know very much about her, either, except that Cerberus had promised her protection in exchange for her services.

The Illusive Man was rather fond of being vague.

The other two dossiers were for Jack, a powerful biotic. Who also happened to be a convict, currently being kept in cryo on the prison ship Purgatory. What fun. The other was for a krogan warlord named Okeer.

Since most of the dossiers required that I be in Omega, I decided that's where we'd have to be.

* * *

><p><em>April 1st, 2185.<em>

When it was a reasonable hour, the Normandy's crew was operational as could be. Mess Sergeant Gardner was arguing some some of the other crew members about the food. Nearby, I spotted Miranda, who was going through one of the cupboards herself, no doubt looking for things to eat herself. She ended up grabbing something that looked a bit like a breakfast bar.

"Morning, Shepard," she greeted, nonchalantly. "I imagine you've decided where we're going first, haven't you?"

"Yes," I said, not liking how patronizing her voice was when she was talking to me. She opened the packet and took a bite out of the breakfast bar, before observing me for a few moments.

"No doubt you have a lot of questions about Cerberus," she said, almost as if she was a mind-reader. I did have a lot of questions about Cerberus, I just didn't know where to start.

"Sure," I said.

"Cerberus isn't exactly as evil as most people believe," Miranda began. I resisted the urge to scoff my contempt and disbelief. "If I can help allay any of your concerns, I'd be happy to do so. What would you like to know?"

I shot various questions about Cerberus in Miranda's direction as if they were bullets, and she answered them patiently enough. It was when I came to asking about the Illusive Man himself that she hesitated slightly.

"Even I don't have access to most of his background," she admitted. "He's a bit of a mystery that way, I suppose. You've seen more of him than most ever do."

I raised my eyebrows.

"Have I, now?"

"It's very rare for him to become directly involved in missions, but you're something…" Miranda hesitated for a second, "...special."

"Special enough for him to spend a fuckton of credits simply to bring me back to life," I remarked. Miranda nodded.

"Whatever else people might say about him, I can assure you he's got humanity's best interests at heart. That includes you and me."

I thought for a second, carefully considering the woman in front of me.

"What about you?" I asked. "What can you tell me about yourself?"

Miranda gave me her signature smile.

"Well, I guess that's fair," she began. "After all, I spent the past two years learning all there is to know about you."

"Sounds like you want to ask a fair few questions yourself," I remarked. Miranda raised her eyebrows in a way that was enough to confirm my suspicions, but said nothing.

"Well, you should probably know that I've had extensive genetic modification. Not my decision, but I make the most of it."

It was...interesting to hear that she was modded without her say so. In fact, I was fairly certain that it was illegal.

"It's one of the reasons the Illusive Man handpicked me for this mission, actually," she said. "I'm good at just about anything I choose to do."

"You certainly don't lack for confidence," I offered.

"It's just a fact," Miranda said. "My reflexes, my strength, even my looks—they're all designed to give me an edge. No point hiding from it."

I wanted to ask her why she was genetically modified in the first place, especially given that she _said_ it wasn't her choice. But I closed my mouth.

It really wasn't any of my business.

Just like my life was none of hers.

"It's the reason I'm trusted to oversee the most dangerous, risky and technically demanding operations Cerberus undertakes. And it's why I was assigned to you. It's my job to make sure you succeed, Shepard."

"Sounds like you were designed to be perfect," I commented.

Miranda studied me for a few minutes.

"Maybe," she began, seriously. "But I'm not. I'm still human, Shepard. I make mistakes like everyone else. And when I do, the consequences are severe. Everyone expects a lot from someone with my... abilities."

"You won't get any pressure here," I assured her. She raised her eyebrows.

"Wh -"

"Let me tell you something," I began. "If this is going to be _my_ crew, then I'm going to have to do certain things my way here. Everyone here gets treated equally. If you stay on my good side, then we'll get along fine. If you don't, then you're not on my good side. I won't pressure you simply because your abilities are better than everyone else's."

I thought I saw Miranda smile slightly, but I wasn't sure.

It was after that conversation that we seemed to get along a bit better, but we weren't exactly friends.

Later that day, I stopped by the med-bay, and when I saw who was sitting at the desk, I thought my eyes were deceiving me.

CMO Karin Chakwas, the doctor on the old Normandy, turned around to face me, and she smiled warmly.

"Commander Shepard," she greeted. "I watched the Normandy crumble with you on board. It's good to see you alive, scars and all."

"My scars?" I asked. The scars I once had - including a very noticeable one that ran from my left eyebrow to my lip - were gone. I assumed they were gone as part of something the Lazarus Project had done.

"You know what I meant," the doctor chuckled. "Welcome back, Shepard."

She then explained what had happened in the past two years. Just as Joker had also said, Chakwas told me the team was split up. After they were, she started working the Mars Navel Medical Centre.

"A respectable position," she told me. "But it wasn't on a starship."

When I asked her what she was doing here, and why she was working for Cerberus, Chakwas frowned slightly.

"I don't work for Cerberus, Commander," she insisted. "I work for _you._ On a mission that may be crucial to the survival of the human race. I have faith that your dealings with Cerberus will be ethical. I trust you, Commander."

No pressure.

"Need anything, Doc?" I asked her. Chakwas shook her head.

"This medical bay seems very much like the sick bay on the original Normandy. Only thing missing are my private reserves," she looked around, wistfully. I remembered her private reserves. It was one area of the ship that _she_ had full control over, and not me. "A bit of scotch, some whisky... I even had a bottle of Serrice Ice Brandy that I was saving for a special occasion."

"Now I know what to get you for Christmas," I remarked.

Chakwas shook her head again.

"Oh, you needn't," she said. "It's expensive. And we have much larger concerns ahead."

After I said goodbye to Chakwas, I went back down to the CIC, where I approached the galaxy map, while Kelly eyed me curiously.

"Joker, set a course for Omega. We have a few people to pick up."

* * *

><p>Omega hadn't changed one fucking bit. I knew this, and we hadn't even left the goddamn loading bay yet. Miranda and Jacob wore identical expressions of disgust, and I couldn't blame either of them.<p>

"We pick up the people and leave," I said firmly. "No stalling."

"Understood, Commander," Jacob responded, with a salute. Miranda said nothing, but nodded. I had the feeling she wanted to leave Omega as soon as possible.

A very jumpy salarian appeared. He looked to me as if he had been taking way too much red sand.

"Welcome to Omega!" He greeted. "You're new here! I can always t -"

The salarian was cut off when a very muscular batarian appeared from behind him and placed a hand on his small shoulder. I hated batarians, and most - if not all - the batarians I had met were never worth one damn. It took everything I had _not_ to shoot him in the head.

"Leave, Fargut," he told the salarian. When Fargut didn't budge, the batarian let out a growl. "NOW!"

Fargut trembled slightly.

"Of course, Moklan! Whatever she wants!"

I had the feeling I _knew_ who 'she' was, but kept my mouth firmly clamped shut. Fargut scampered away, and Moklan shook his head in disgust.

"Fucking scavengers…" he muttered, before looking up at me with his four eyes. "Welcome to Omega, Shepard."

I frowned.

"You know who I am?" I asked, cautiously.

"Of course I do. We've had you tagged the moment you entered the Terminus Systems," he said, sneering the words. "You're not as subtle as you think."

Even with the stealth systems that made the Normandy unique.

That was just fucking peachy.

"Aria wants to know what brings a dead Spectre to Omega," Moklan continued. I heard Miranda sigh in irritation. I knew who Aria was, although I had never met her personally. All I knew was that she had been the de-facto ruler of Omega - and, by extension, the Terminus Systems - for at least a century. "I suggest you head to Afterlife and present yourself."

"I'll talk to your boss when I damn well please," I snapped, not liking the idea of being ordered around by a batarian in the slightest. Moklan growled again.

"I assure you, Aria does not like to be kept waiting. Afterlife, NOW."

Then, he turned on his heel and left. I sighed.

"Massani was supposed to meet us near here," Miranda reminded me.

I nodded.

"Let's go see him first," I said, "then, we'll go deal with Aria."

Zaeed was across the hall from us, beating another batarian. The batarian looked up at me, and there was fear in his black eyes.

"Please..." he pleaded. "Help me -"

"No one said you could talk, jackass!" Zaeed yelled, before proceeding to kick his victim again. I didn't make a move to help the batarian and instead turned my attention to Zaeed.

"You Zaeed Massani?"

The older bounty hunter turned around, and I saw his face more clearly. His face was heavily scarred, and he even had a synthetic eye. He had obviously seen a lot.

"Yeah, that's right," he answered. He looked at me, then towards Miranda and Jacob, his eyes landing on the Cerberus logo that was on both of their uniforms. "I take it you're Commander Shepard? I hear we have a galaxy to save."

"Guilty as charged," I replied. "When you're ready, report to the Normandy. We have a _lot_ of work to do."

"Yeah, that's what I hear," Zaeed remarked. The batarian whimpered, and Zaeed turned back towards him angrily.

_"Shut it,"_ Zaeed snarled, before turning back to me. "Just one thing, Shepard."

There was always a catch.

"I assume the Illusive Man told us of our little arrangement?"

"He told me nothing except for the fact that you're in this for credits," I said sharply, cursing the Illusive Man for not telling me everything. Again.

"Good thing I asked, then. Ever hear of the name Vido Santiago?"

I shook my head, allowing the mercenary to continue.

"He's the head of the Blue Suns," Zaeed informed me. Considering who the Blue Suns were, I resisted the urge to let out a groan. "Runs the entire goddamn organization. Seems he's managed to capture an Eldfell-Ashland refinery on Zorya, and he's using the workers for slave labor. The company wants it dealt with."

"Well, _I_ certainly can't make any promises," I began. _Unlike the Illusive Man,_ I thought resentfully, but refrained from saying it in front of Miranda and Jacob. "But if we can get it done, we will."

"Well, I suggest you get it done soon, that way we can concentrate on being big goddamn heroes," Zaeed said. At that moment, the batarian chose to pull himself to his feet and attempt to run away, but Zaeed pulled out his gun within a split second and shot him down, before turning back to me with a grim expression.

"I'd better turn that in before it starts to stink," Zaeed remarked. Miranda grimaced.

"You do that," was all I could say in response. "Meet me in Afterlife when the job's finished."

Zaeed nodded in response, before picking up the batarian corpse and slinging it over his body, walking away.

"What next, Commander?" Miranda asked. I scowled.

"We go and meet Aria," I answered in a dark tone of voice.

* * *

><p>Afterlife reminded me of Chora's Den back on the Citadel, a dingy little club in the Lower Wards. Or, at least it was there once, I had no idea whether they intended to rebuild it or not after the attack on the Citadel. Probably not. In any case, Afterlife was much worse. At least Chora's Den, no matter how disgusting it was, was on the Citadel with law and order to keep the criminals in line. Afterlife was nothing if not the complete opposite.<p>

As soon as I entered the club, the sounds of shouting, dance music and people generally trying to drink their problems away filled my ears. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted dancers, mostly asari, but one or two humans amongst them. It brought me back to when Kaidan, Ashley and I were sent to find Harkin, and the comments they both made regarding the dancers then. I couldn't help but be amused by it.

Eventually, I did find Aria, who was perched above the club, watching everything with eyes like a hawk's. I didn't know that at the time, however.

"That's close enough," a cold, sharp voice sounded. A group of batarians, including Moklan, pointed their weapons in our direction. Jacob and Miranda responded by doing exactly the same thing.

"Stand still," Moklan ordered, before activating his omni-tool. I suspected he was trying to scan for weapons.

"If you're looking for what I think you are, you're not doing a very good job," I remarked. "This is a waste of time."

"They're clean," he announced.

The funny thing is, we really weren't.

Aria turned around. Despite being the de-facto leader of Omega, Aria struck me as the kind of person who was cold and regal. Come to think of it, she probably ruled Omega with an iron fist.

"Can never be too careful with dead Spectres," was her response. "It could be anyone wearing your face."

I glared in her direction, but said nothing. The last thing I needed was to be kicked off her station without having done what I needed to do.

"I was told you were the person to ask if I had questions," I said, taking a few careful steps forward. Aria considered me carefully for a few moments.

"Depends on the questions," she said. I glared at her again. I hated it when people felt the need to be cryptic for no reason.

"I take it you run Omega, then," I said, intentionally stating it as fact rather than a question. Aria didn't miss this, but she turned around dramatically before surveying Afterlife, still very much like a hawk.

"Run Omega? Shepard, I _am_ Omega!"

She turned back to face me, with a very superior expression on her face.

"But you need more. Everyone needs more something, and they always come to me."

I glanced back towards Jacob and Miranda, who were still looking towards Aria with a certain amount of suspicion. Aria shook her head in my direction disdainfully.

"I'm the boss, CEO, queen...if you're feeling dramatic. It doesn't matter. Omega has _no_ titled ruler and only _one_ rule."

She sat back down on her leather couch as if she was a queen sitting on her throne, and pulled a self-satisfied smirk, before carefully meeting my eyes.

"Don't _fuck_ with Aria."

I shook my head slightly in response, and Aria didn't miss this, either. I had the feeling she paid attention to _everything_ within her line of sight.

"I like it," I said dryly. "Easy to remember."

Aria did not miss the sarcasm.

"Good, because if you forget, someone will remind you," she answered arrogantly.

"And I'll toss your sorry ass out the nearest airlock," Moklan interjected. I rolled my eyes, but otherwise ignored the batarian as if he was a part of the walls. I then sat down across from Aria.

"All I need is three things from you," I said firmly, "then I'll be on my way."

"What would those three things be?"

"I'm looking for Mordin Solus, first and foremost," I told her.

"The salarian doctor? Last I heard, he was trying to help plague victims down in the quarantine zone." Aria grinned slightly after she said those words, almost as if going into some sort of reverie. "I always liked Mordin. He's as likely to heal you as he is to shoot you."

I sensed there was a story in there somewhere, but I didn't ask. Aria didn't seem like the kind of person who liked being asked personal question. I knew this because neither did I. I just made a mental note. The scientist was in the quarantine trying to cure a plague.

Nothing I couldn't handle.

"And I'm also looking for Starflyer."

Aria's expression changed to one of disgust.

"Oh, _that_ bitch," she snarled.

"I take you and she don't get along?"

"No," Aria said. "The few times I saw her and friends around here, they were nothing but trouble. That..._woman_ of hers probably became too much for her...I'm glad one of them is leaving. But you'll soon find out for yourself."

Aria didn't seem to want to talk about Starflyer anymore, so I asked her the last question.

"I'm also trying to find Archangel as well."

"You _and_ half of Omega," Aria remarked nonchalantly, before turning to face me. "You want him dead too?"

That was the _last_ thing I wanted.

"I'm putting a team together," I stated. "He's on my list."

Aria shook her head again.

"You're going to make some enemies, teaming up with Archangel. He's in a lot of trouble right now."

"What kind of trouble?"

"The kind of trouble which has all three major merc groups teaming up against him," was Aria's casual response. "They have him cornered, but they're having some trouble trying to take him down. Now it seems like they're hiring just about anyone with a gun."

"That sounds like out ticket in, Commander," Jacob said.

"They're using a private room for recruiting downstairs," Aria supplied helpfully. I nodded, thanked her, and made my way in the direction Aria had specified.

"Shepard, what are you doing?" Miranda demanded.

I glanced in her direction, shooting her a look of irritation.

"We're going to find Archangel," I said firmly.

"But we _need_ that counter-measure!" She snapped. "It's -"

"Yeah, well, guess what? Mercenaries are cornering Archangel! The doctor sounds like he isn't in any immediate danger, whereas if we give these mercs a minute longer, we could lose him."

"It's your call, Commander," Jacob interjected, before shooting a glance in Miranda's direction that seemed to shut her up.

Aria was right about the recruitment, not that I ever imagined she'd be wrong. An older batarian was guarding the doorway, and he let us in as soon as I mentioned I was interested in being hired. I later guessed this might have been because I was heavily armed at the time.

The next room had yet _another_ batarian, who was busy messing with a laptop in front of him before he looked up, and leered at me.

"Well, aren't _you_ sweet," he drawled, looking me up and down. I felt sick to my stomach. "You're in the wrong place. Stripper's corner's that w-"

Before I let him finish his sentence, I pulled out the pistol I had strapped to my side, slowly scrutinizing it.

"Show me yours, _tough guy,"_ I sneered. "I bet mine's bigger."

"Impressive," the batarian said quickly. "So, you're here to fight then?"

I narrowed my eyes in the batarian's direction

"What the fuck did you think I came down here for? Dinner and a show?" I scoffed, and was secretly amused by his confusion. "Of course I'm here to fight."

He nodded, before turning back to the screen in front of him.

"Standard fee is five-hundred credits each. You get paid when the job's done. If you die, your friends don't collect your share. You need your own weapons and armor…" he looked up again, glancing at me. "Looks like you've got that covered."

"You don't say," I muttered. He pointedly ignored me.

"And no, this does not make you a member of the Blue Suns, Eclipse, or the Blood Pack," he spoke as if he was asked that question on a daily basis. "You are a freelancer. Period."

I had no problem with that.

"Now, do you have any other questions before you go?" The batarian asked wearily.

I cracked my knuckles in a way I was told made me look extremely menacing.

"Where_ do_ we go?"

"Just head over to the transport depot outside the club," he seemed extremely eager to get me out of his sight. I was used to that by now. "One of our boys will take you from there. Send in the next one."

As I was about turn to leave with Jacob and Miranda in tow, the door opened. A young teenager, probably no older than eighteen or nineteen entered with an old, obsolete pistol in hand. He had no protection whatsoever, save for the brown jacket he wore over a dirty, white shirt and a beige cap.

"Hey, is this where I sign up?" He asked. I scowled darkly in his direction.

"You look a little young to be freelancing as a merc," I began before I could stop myself. I knew I probably should have just walked away. Whatever this teenager was doing was none of my business. However, letting someone like the teenager in front of me walk into the lion's den wasn't a good thing, either.

Cursing a certain dark-haired biotic and his influence to hell, I took a step towards the boy, who was glaring at me.

"I'm old enough," he protested. "I grew up on Omega! I know how to use a gun!"

_Uh huh,_ I thought.

"So does Archangel," Jacob pointed out.

"I can handle myself," the kid insisted. "Besides, I just spent fifty credits on this pistol and -"

Before he knew it, I had grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and shoved him against the wall, giving him the sternest look I could muster. Then, I grabbed the pistol, which turned out to be a cheap knock-off, and broke it.

"Trust me kid, you'll thank me later," I assured him as I let him go and shoved the broken pistol back in his hands. The kid stared at me in disbelief before I stalked off. I had work to do.

* * *

><p>After meeting with Zaeed just outside of Afterlife, the four of us were to the other side of Omega, where we were greeted by another batarian, this time a not so friendly one.<p>

"It's about time they someone who looks like they can _actually_ fight," he commented, although his eyes landed on Miranda and her ridiculous outfit for a second. "Archangel's been annihilating you freelancers. They tell you what we're up against?"

"I know enough," I said sharply. "I assume you have a plan?"

"A small team is waiting to infiltrate the hideout, but we need to draw attention so they can move in."

"And that's where we come in?"

"Exactly," the batarian nodded behind him. "You'll be on a distraction team. Head straight over the bridge and keep them busy so the infiltration team can sneak in behind."

"Sounds like a suicide mission to me," Jacob commented. He was right, but I _knew_ I could do this. It sounded easy.

"You look like you can handle it," the batarian commented roughly. "Head up to the boulevard and get to the third barricade. Talk to Sergeant Cathka. He'll tell you when to go in. Watch yourself. They've still killed plenty of you freelancers."

This didn't surprise me, considering the kid who attempted to sign up today. They must've hired dozens of incompetent teenagers by now.

"Getting in won't be hard. Getting out will be a bitch," Zaeed muttered.

"Let's focus on actually _finding_ them first," I told him. "We'll find a way out later."

_"Shepard, I've scanned the area, and I'm unable to plot any additional paths to Archangel," _I heard EDI say.

"That's fucking _wonderful,"_ I bit out in response. Now it looked like the four of us were going with the mercs, and I'd probably bump into _even more_ batarians, and find myself resisting the urge to shoot them all again. "I guess we have to go with the mercs."

_"The heavy mecs and gunship possess considerable firepower. Weakening them before leaving will improve your chances."_

_Good_, I thought as we turned the corner. While Jacob and Zaeed were distracting the mercs, whose eyes were following us suspiciously, Miranda and I went to find the mechs and gunship. They were in a small, closed off room not to far from where the batarian said Cathka was. It took a fair bit of fiddling, but I think I managed to stop it from working. I saw Miranda raise her eyebrows.

"What did I do wrong?" I asked her.

"You didn't do anything _wrong,"_ she said. "But you did more than was necessary. I think you managed to completely overload it."

I shrugged. I was never good at tech, and I didn't see any point in trying to hide that fact now.

"Come on," I said.

The next thing that I did was meet Cathka, an older batarian who was in charge of the current mission. When I asked for him, his human companions shrugged, and moved out the way. Cathka was busy doing something I couldn't really see, before he turned around to introduce himself.

"Sergeant Cathka," he began, looking at all four of us suspiciously. "You must be the group Salkie mentioned. Just in time."

I raised my eyebrows.

"Who the hell is Salkie?"

"The one you met when you arrived. He radioed me to let me know you were arriving."

I nodded.

"I see."

"The infiltration team is about to give us the signal," Cathka explained. "They won't know what hit them."

"I take it you're the one leading the assault?" Miranda asked. Cathka scoffed.

"Tarak doesn't pay me to fight. I just plan attacks and fix the damn gun ship."

_The gunship that I need to make sure_ doesn't _get fixed_, I thought.

"You freelancers get the privilege of -"

Cathka didn't get time to finish what he was about to say before a voice came in over the com.

_"Target in sight!"_ I heard someone say._ "We're a go!"_

"Check," Cathka said, before raising his voice. "Bravo team. Go, go, GO!"

Not too far away, I could see a bunch of freelancers making way to do a final check of their weapons. Cathka smirked.

"Archangel's got quite a surprise waiting for him. But that means no more waiting for me."

He then made his way back to the damaged ship. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a welder, that Cathka must have forgotten to turn off. Before Cathka could see me, I grabbed it. He was so focused on the gunship that he didn't even notice.

"You're working too hard," I said, before placing the welder lightly on his neck. Cathka screamed out in pain, with his arms flailing wildly. He collapsed on the ground, and I picked up the welder again, before throwing into the broken gunship.

"Impressive," Zaeed remarked.

"Come on," I said, "this Archangel's not gonna find himself."

* * *

><p>It didn't take long for the mercs to find out what were <em>actually<em> up to and start shooting us. It was nothing I couldn't handle, however. Even though we were outnumbered, the mercs had weapons less than sufficient to get the job done. Some of them didn't even have armor. It didn't take long for us to take them down, even though a couple of them seemingly _refused_ to die. The fact that I was certain someone from above had shot me a couple of times didn't help, either. As soon as they were dealt with, I looked around the room for Archangel, who seemed to be nowhere in sight. At least until a turian in blue and black armor appeared.

"You Archangel?" I asked.

I didn't get my answer in the form of words. The turian removed his helmet instead, and no words could describe how shocked I was.


End file.
